IMPERIAL, Calif. — Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor. The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM!

This program is operating in one of California’s poorest counties and is recruiting marginal kids with a “C” average as young at 13 years old. And once these kids are trained, how long will it be before some will find the wages offered by Los Zetas much more attractive than what Homeland Security can offer?

PHOENIX – “I want to thank the Members of the Arizona House and Senate for putting in substantial time and effort together with me to fill the increasing FY ’09 deficit hole. I have now signed both pieces of legislation. This latest update to the FY ’09 budget was not a simple exercise, as state revenues have continued to decline and very few weeks remain before the beginning of the new fiscal year. I am hopeful that, with a continued emphasis on negotiation and compromise, the legislature can reach consensus with my policy goals to approve an FY ’10 budget package promptly.

“The state deficit for FY ’10 now stands at more than $3 billion. As I have communicated clearly for many months, there is no question that additional spending reductions will be necessary to balance the FY ’10 budget and ensure that we are well positioned to deal with projected FY ’11 challenges. In total, my permanent spending reduction target is an accumulated total of $1 billion. This is not a small cut to government. It is the largest reduction in the size of state government in Arizona history.

“But let me repeat – spending reductions and federal stimulus dollars alone will not come close to fixing the FY ’10 budget or future budget deficits. New revenues of roughly $1 billion will be necessary, as federal stimulus funding will only cover approximately $1 billion of the FY ’10 deficit. And I will not approve an FY ’10 budget that does not take into account FY ’11 needs and requirements, just as I was unwilling to overutilize federal stimulus funding to balance FY ’09 and leave our education system exposed to massive
reductions in FY ’10.

“We are only a few months away before my agencies must begin preparations for FY ‘11. It would be fiscally irresponsible for the legislature to ignore the depths of the FY ’11 state deficit by promoting a budget plan for FY ‘10 that relies primarily on one-time measures.

“Now is the time for the legislature to build upon the momentum of this FY ’09 fix, and work with me on a balanced budget that is comprehensive, sustainable, addresses all points in my 5 point plan, and does not ignore the next budget process that is merely months away.”

The Republican Professionals are relaunching their happy hour to be called “Politics on the Rocks.” Our launch party will be held at The W Hotel in Scottsdale on Thursday, May 14th at 6:00 PM. The purpose of “Politics on the Rocks” is to bring Republican & Conservative Professionals together in a monthly happy hour where they can network, socialize, and hear directly from prominent politicians and successful business leaders. Politics on the Rocks was started in Phoenix, Arizona and has spread to other cities.

County Attorney Andrew Thomas will be speaking briefly at 7pm, followed by John Jakubczyk from Arizona Right to Life and a libertarian candidate in CD-5.

For someone who signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge and who says on his website “[t]he last thing this economy needs is a tax hike,” this seems like an interesting bill to be introducing:

WASHINGTON — Reps. Bob Inglis of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona on Wednesday became the first Republican lawmakers to introduce legislation imposing a carbon tax on producers and distributors of fossil fuels.

The bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, would set a tax of $15 a ton of carbon dioxide produced in its first year in effect, with the tax rising to $100 a ton over three decades.

Arizona would be hit especially hard with Rep. Flake’s new tax because Arizona relies heavily on carbon dioxide emitting coal and natural gas power plants to produce our electricity. According to a recent editorial in the Arizona Republic by the presidents of APS, TEP, and the Salt River Project:

[A]t $20 a ton [of carbon dioxide], the costs to our operations would amount to a greater than 10 percent increase in your price of electricity. Some experts have predicted the price could reach $75 per ton, which could result in more than a 40 percent price increase for our customers.

To be fair, Rep. Flake claims his bill will be “revenue neutral” because it supposedly reduces payroll taxes by an amount equal to the new carbon tax. However, count this blogger as skeptical of the revenue neutral claim. Congress has passed many bills that were supposedly “revenue neutral” but ended up raising taxes. Furthermore, because of Arizona’s reliance on coal and natural gas for electrical power, Arizonans will end up paying more in higher utility bills than we would save in reduced payroll taxes.

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